NFL Week 1 ‘Monday Night Football’ game picks and predictions

The first week of the 2023 NFL season is nearly over, and what a week it was. We saw some wild outcomes, like the absolute blowout of the New York Giants at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys and the dismantling of the Cincinnati Bengals by the Cleveland Browns. On a positive note, our Atlanta Falcons managed to win their first season-opener—and get their first winning record, at any point—since 2017 with a victory over the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers.

Monday Night Football should, in theory, be a great game between two AFC contenders. That of course depends on how much faith you have in the new-look New York Jets taking on perennial AFC contenders in the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are hungry to finally get over the hump, while the Jets are looking to make some noise after going big for Aaron Rodgers in the offseason.

Let’s get right to tonight’s pick, which I’ll be making on a straight moneyline (aka picking the winner) basis. I’ll still provide the information on the spread and over/under, for those interested. At the bottom, I’ll show the rest of the staff’s picks for the game.

All odds are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change. See the current odds here.

Monday Night Football: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

The pick: Bills -142

Spread: Bills -2 | Over/Under: 44.5 | Moneyline: Bills -142, Jets +110

Hopefully this will be a better game than that disastrous Sunday Night Football matchup last night. On paper, it should be, as the AFC East could be one of the best divisions in football this year and this could be a preview of the two best teams. Josh Allen and the Bills return in 2023 as a true contender, while the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets hope to stake their claim in a top-heavy conference. This one should be pretty spicy, but I’m sticking with the Bills until the Jets prove themselves.

Staff picks

What are your picks and predictions for tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup?

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.